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Hovis reveals British pride at all time high as Brits vote unique sense of humour as ultimate British characteristic.

Hovis reveals British pride at all time high as Brits vote unique sense of humour as ultimate British characteristic.

Our unique sense of humour (45%), rather than our stiff-upper-lip attitude (40%), is the national trait Brits are most proud of. A survey released today from 100% British wheat bread manufacturer Hovis exploring what makes us proudest as a nation, found that talking about the weather (41%), a passion for queuing (30%) and politeness (25%) completed the top five list of the ultimate British characteristics.

The study, involving 2,000 British adults to celebrate that Hovis is the only major bread brand made from 100% British wheat, unveiled that over three quarters (76%) agreed they were proud to be British with a further 60% declaring they felt a greater sense of national pride and patriotism than in the past.

To this end, Hovis ambassador and British Olympic champion track cyclist Victoria Pendleton has worked with Hovis to recreate the image of Britannia, the iconic symbol of the British Isles, to celebrate that only Hovis is the major bread brand to be made with 100% British wheat.

Ahead of her bid at the London Olympics, Victoria comments, “With patriotism at an all time high and so much for Brits to be proud of ahead of the Diamond Jubliee and Olympics, it’s a great year to be British. Which is why I’m working with Hovis to celebrate their use of 100% British wheat in each and every loaf by recreating the female personification of the British Isles, Britannia – a powerful symbol of unity, tying us Brits together as a nation.”

Further stats revealed that it was the rolling hills of the beautiful countryside that made most feel proud to be British (51%), closely followed by The Royal Family (43%). The research also discovered that Brits are a nation of Royalists with more than half (60%) feeling a great sense of pride at having a Royal family and 45% considering the Monarchy as a unique symbol of Britishness – just ahead of the quintessentially British afternoon tea (35%) and the emblematic figure of Britannia (23%) who clearly still rules the waves! Interestingly, the time-honoured tradition of Morris Dancing, dating back to 1448, was still deemed a relevant symbol of our British heritage (13%).

Ansareen Shaban, Hovis Brand Manager, comments, “At Hovis, we’re extremely proud to be the only major bread brand using 100% British wheat and, with feelings of British pride flying high, we wanted to understand what stood out for Brits as symbols of true Britishness, exploring what made our nation proud. What this survey demonstrates really well is how proud we are to be British – more three quarters said they felt honoured to be part of this country. It is great to see that as a nation we are proud of our British heritage and have some of the most iconic symbols to celebrate.”